LONDON.- On 9th June 2016 at 11am,
Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions will host an auction of vintage posters including items from two single-owner collections at their Bloomsbury Auctions’ base on Maddox Street, London.
A wonderful range of posters will be on offer, with estimates ranging from £80 - £8,000. The selection includes a superb variety of travel posters for British Rail and the London Underground dating back to the 1920s. Posters in the aviation category cover airlines from around the globe alongside an equally impressive range of shipping posters including iconic images from P&O and Cunard liner travel.
Also in the sale will be some extraordinary work incentive posters from the 1920s, complete with motivational slogans and playful imagery. Further categories comprise Chinese, War & Political posters, charming sections of cycling and motoring posters and an exclusive ski section. The first lots of the sale consist of international items from companies such as Levis and Bally as well as posters depicting holiday destinations such as Egypt and India.
International
The opening, international section serves as an introduction to the auction as a whole. The first lots on offer are made up of posters from around the world, and depict the work of internationally renowned artists. Highlights include a poster for The Black and White Gallery, Louis Meyer by the British artists James Pryde and William Nicholson, often referred to as the Beggarstaff Brothers. This striking piece is dated c.1900, one of the earliest lots in the sale, and is estimated at £600-£800 (Lot 10).
Another highlight of the sale is French-Ukranian painter and commercial poster artist, Adolphe Mouron Cassandre’s famed depiction of famous ocean liner SS Normandie, 1935, which was printed by Alliance Graphique, L. Danel, Paris, and carries an estimate of £6,000 – 8,000 (Lot 18A). This striking lithographic poster in art deco style would serve as an excellent addition to either a contemporary or traditional interior design space.
Chinese, War & Political
History lovers will delight at the opportunity to secure a piece of political history with lots from World War Two, the Vietnam War and The Chinese Communist Revolution. Hugely emotive and featuring a striking red colour palette a highlight is, One Red Heart Towards the Sun c.1968, one of a series of three posters which make up lot 70 and together carry an estimate of £400 - £600. Other highlights include a wonderful selection of Socialistik Plakatgruppe (Socialist Poster Group) lithographic posters calling to boycott Vietnam which are each estimated at £400-£600 (lots 80, 81 & 82).
Work Incentive
A fantastic collection of Mather & Co work incentive posters which have been off the market for some time will give buyers the opportunity to secure some fine examples of workplace propaganda material. A product of a time in America where economic expansion was defining the nation, these eye-catching motivational posters were printed in Chicago between 1923 and 1929 and originally marketed to blue collar factory workers. Designed to boost worker productivity, they project traditional American virtues through motivational phrasing and eye-catching visuals, which may seem slightly amusing to a modern audience, Lot 97, ‘The Perfect Finish’ by Frank Beatty (1899-1984) is estimated at £400-£600 and also includes a second poster titled, ‘Watch Your Step’.
Cycle & Ski
Sports fans will enjoy the range of vintage cycle and skiing posters that make up part of the sale. A highlight from the cycle section is lot 107, Faorzi Giro di Francia’s colourful poster from 1949, printed by A.G.A.F., Firenze, (Est: £1,500 - £2,000). The skiing section includes Paul Ordner (1900-1969) ‘Combloux’ lithographic poster, dated 1935, printed by Bahy, Mulhouse, (Est: £800 - £1,200, Lot 115).
Motoring
Buyers with an interest in motoring will be spoilt for choice in this section of the sale as giants of the automobile and motoring world such as Bugatti, Ferrari, Jaguar, Ford and Porsche as well as motoring venues and events such Silverstone, Le Mans and the Grand Prix all feature. Estimates for lots in this section range from £150 with the Bugatti, Le Pur-Sang des Automobiles, 1925 (pictured) by Julius Ussy Englehard (1883-1964) carrying the highest estimate of £6,000 - £8,000 (Lot 142) and serving as the other top lot in the sale.
Shipping & Aviation
The shipping section provides a classic selection of posters for liner travel when this means of exploration and holidaying was the peak of luxury and fashion. Fantastic examples include P&O’s India Australia, P&O Tourist class, 1931, by Arthur C. Michael and printed by R.H Perry (Est: £1,200-£1,400, Lot 167). In the aviation section that follows, great poster artist Guy Georget’s graphic style of bold lines and bright colours (1911-1992) can be seen best in the Air France, Grande Bretagne, poster on offer (Est: £350-£450, Lot 183). Dated c.1963, and printed by S.A, Coubet, Paris, three years earlier Georget had been selected to design the logo of France’s venerable Postal Service “La Poste”.
British Rail & London Underground
An attractive array of posters for the London Underground, with several of the lots depicting much-loved London landmarks such as Kew Gardens and London Zoo also feature in the sale. Austin Cooper’s, The Pulse of London’s Underground, (Est: £150-£250, Lot 201) is dated 1927 and provides another highlight in this collection. The poster details the number of passengers per hour passing through Trafalgar Square by bus against the numbers passing through Charing Cross underground. Cooper designed posters for the Underground Group and London Transport during 1922-1944, and this version was printed by The Baynard Press who printed many of London Transport’s image-lead posters.
The sale concludes with a delightful number of British Rail posters, which draw attention to many of the scenic locations the UK has to offer including Exeter, Bristol and the Scottish Highlands. The London Midlands & Scottish Railway poster from 1925 (Raymond Virac, 1892-1946) carries a pleasing estimate of £150 - £250 (Lot 241).
